Savoy v. Davis

United States District Court, M.D. Louisiana

April 21, 2015

JOSEPH SAVOYv.DANIEL DAVIS, ET AL

RULING ON MOTION TO DISMISS

JAMES J. BRADY, District Judge.

This case is before the Court on a Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 23) filed by defendant Captain James Savoy (Capt. Savoy). Joseph Savoy (Mr. Savoy), the plaintiff, filed an opposition (Doc. 33) to which Capt. Savoy replied (Doc. 36). Oral argument is unnecessary.

Background

Mr. Savoy is currently an inmate at Elayn Hunt Correction Center, but in January 2014, he resided at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) at Angola. He claims that, on January 4, 2014, Capt. Savoy witnessed several other correctional officers[1] beat Mr. Savoy without justification and failed to intervene. As a result of this incident, Mr. Savoy suffered multiple physical injuries, including a broken shoulder. In November of 2014, Mr. Savoy filed a civil rights lawsuit against Capt. Savoy and several others, and he alleged violations of his Fourth and Eighth Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. In response, Capt. Savoy filed this motion to get himself dismissed as a defendant.

Standard of Review

Under Rule 12(b)(6), "[t]o survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face." Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). The Court, "[i]n reviewing a Rule 12(b)(6) motion... must accept all well-pleaded facts in the complaint as true and view them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff." Davis v. Bellsouth Telecomm. , 2012 WL 2064699, at *1 (M.D. La. June 7, 2012) (citing Baker v. Putnal , 75 F.3d 190, 196 (5th Cir. 1996)). Still, the plaintiff must assert facts sufficient to demonstrate that he may plausibly be entitled to relief. Ashcroft , 556 U.S. at 678. Significantly, "threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice." Id.

Analysis

Capt. Savoy supports his motion with several arguments. First, he argues that he cannot be sued in his official capacity due to Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity. Second, he argues that there are no factual allegations sufficient to establish that he violated Mr. Savoy's Fourth Amendment rights, therefore defeating any §1983 claim on that basis. Third, he argues that there also no factual allegations sufficient to establish a violation of Mr. Savoy's Eighth Amendment rights-precluding a §1983 claim there as well. Fourth, and finally, he argues that there are no facts alleged that would allow Mr. Savoy to overcome Capt. Savoy's qualified immunity defense. Mr. Savoy does not contest the first or second argument, but he does argue that he states sufficient facts, if taken as true, for an Eighth Amendment violation-due to bystander liability-and to establish first prong necessary to overcome the qualified immunity defense. He also argues that he has alleged sufficient facts to establish that Capt. Savoy's actions were objectively unreasonable, thus satisfying the second prong and precluding dismissal due to qualified immunity.

I. Eleventh Amendment Sovereign Immunity

Initially, Capt. Savoy argued that he could not be sued in his official capacity based on well-established case law. Mr. Savoy clarified that he did not intend to sue Capt. Savoy in his official capacity, so this argument is moot.

II. Fourth Amendment Violations

The claims in this suit arise under §1983, which allows plaintiffs to sue for violations of their constitutional rights and rights established under other laws. 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2014). One of those violations that Mr. Savoy alleges is that Capt. Savoy and the other defendants used excessive force in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. Capt. Savoy argues, however, that the proper excessive force avenue for a prisoner is not the Fourth Amendment but the Eighth Amendment, and he cites Graham v. Connor . 490 U.S. 386, 393-94 (1989). In Graham , the Supreme Court noted that the most common sources for excessive force claims were the Fourth and Eighth Amendments, and the Court further declared that "where... the excessive force claim arises in... an arrest or investigatory stop of a free citizen, it is most properly characterized as... invoking... the Fourth Amendment." Id. at 394. Mr. Savoy, in his opposition, does not address this argument; he instead focuses on the Eighth Amendment and qualified immunity arguments. Consequently, allegations that Capt. Savoy violated Mr. Savoy's Fourth Amendment rights cannot sustain Mr. Savoy's §1983 claims.

III. Eighth Amendment Violations

Mr. Savoy can also pursue §1983 claims for violations of his Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Although typically this type of claim involves a defendant who directly participated in the alleged cruel and unusual punishment, such as a correctional officer accused of beating an inmate, the Eighth Amendment's protection is broader. An officer may be liable under §1983 if he is "present at the scene and does not take reasonable measures to protect" an individual from a colleague's actions when the officer knows that those actions violate the person's constitutional rights. Hale v. Townley , 45 F.3d 914, 916 (5th Cir. 1995); See Also Randall v. Prince George's County, Maryland , 302 F.3d 188, 204 (2nd Cir. 2002). In Hale , the case involved the Fourth Amendment, but its logic easily transfers to Eighth Amendment cases as well; the only real difference, as discussed above, is the status of the person whose rights are allegedly being violated-suspect/detained citizen versus prisoner. Capt. Savoy first argues that because Mr. Savoy does not allege that Capt. Savoy actually ...

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